Drugged-out mom passes out in gas station, deputies say

SARASOTA (FOX 13) - A gas station manager found a drugged woman passed out on the floor of the store bathroom Friday night -- with a young child next to her, deputies said.

According to the sheriff's office, it was just after 7 p.m. Friday when the manager of the Washington Boulevard Wawa called deputies about the apparent overdose. Deputies say Amanda Riley had entered the store with a child and went directly to the restroom, where the manager found her unresponsive five minutes later.

"She told us that she had recently purchased some heroin on the street, had gone into the Wawa and injected herself," said Sgt. Mike Dumer.

A store manager found Riley laying on the bathroom floor with her 4-year-old beside her.

"The child was very stressed -- crying, upset -- when this person was passed out on the floor. For any young child, that is a traumatic event," Dumer stated.

Sarasota County deputies said the crime of child neglect happened when Riley injected herself with heroin. It's a choice she made on her own and one that could have been avoided.

"There are a lot of counseling services available. The law does assist in this way to have people, your loved ones, taken into protective custody if you feel the need to help protect and get them into services," Dumer continued.

Riley, 30, was taken to the hospital where she allegedly admitted to buying heroin in north Sarasota earlier that night before injecting it inside the Wawa bathroom. She's been charged with felony child neglect.

The 4-year-old, meanwhile, was placed into the care of relatives.

"We would like to see these people overcome their addictions. It's a very difficult thing. A lot of people find there are a lot of obstacles," Dumer added.